The present invention relates to a wasted spacer member for positioning block like wall elements, and for glass bricks in particular.
The construction of a glass brick wall usually involves the arrangement of a first layer of glass bricks with adjacent glass bricks being separated by a wooden spacer strip. A set of horizontal spacer strips are then disposed over the first layer adjacent to the edges thereof with mortar and a reinforcing bar applied in the space therebetween. A second layer of glass bricks is subsequently positioned over the first with successive layers applied in a similar manner.
After the mortar has dried the wooden strips are forceably removed and the exposed grooves thereby created are filled with a joint mortar.
The process of removing the wooden strips is time consuming and involves the use of handtools that can easily damage the fragile glass bricks if care is not taken.
The wasted spacer member of the present invention eliminates the need for the wooden strip by providing a spacer member that can properly position both adjacent and stacked bricks prior to the application of mortar, and remains imbedded within the wall after the mortar has hardened, obviating the need for removable strips.
The wasted spacer member of the present invention comprises a pair of cross shaped or T-shaped positioning elements attached by an adjustable connecting element. The spacer member is positioned between adjacent glass bricks in a horizontal and vertical direction with the positioning elements thereon disposed near the outer edges of the bricks and maintaining a proper spacing therebetween.
The adjustable connecting element of the spacer member can be adjusted in length to accomodate bricks of different thicknesses.
A vane element is attached to the center of each respective positioning element which abuts the outer faces of the glass bricks to properly position them in a perpendicular direction with respect to the wall.
Although wasted spacer members are known from the prior art, in particular with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,337 (Neuhart, 1978) Neuhart teaches a connecting element consisting of a sleeve slidingly engaged on either end thereof with a respective cylindrical projection formed on the inner sides of the positioning elements of the spacer member.
The pair of positioning elements and sleeve can easily become separated while in storage and must be reassembled before use. The pair of positioning elements could also easily be misaligned, with one element rotated relative to the other about the mutual perpendicular axis therebetween.
The connector element of the wasted spacer member of the present invention, however, firmly secures together the two positioning elements thereof and restricts the relative motion of the positioning elements to a translational motion along a perpendicular axis therebetween.
As the adjustable length wasted spacer member as taught by Neuhart has no fixed stops by which a predetermined length can be selected, each wasted spacer member must also be adjusted in length to accomodate the thickness of glass brick used prior to application.
Whereas, in a first embodiment of the wasted spacer member of the present invention, the connecting element thereof includes a set of equally spaced apertures on a first connecting bar of which any adjacent pair can be aligned and engaged with a pair of protruding buttons on a cooperating second connecting bar to adjust the length of the spacer member from among a set of predetermined lengths corresponding to varying thicknesses of glass bricks. Alternately, in a second embodiment of the wasted spacer member the connecting element thereof includes a set of vertically oriented apertures and an elastic protrusion on respective connecting bars, wherein each aperture can be selectively aligned and engaged with the protrusion to attain the same end.
The wasted spacer member of the present invention can be obtained in sets preadjusted for a given thickness of glass brick to facilitate their application. Of course, the spacer members can also be quickly adjusted to a selected predetermined length as required and without the need of a glass brick as a reference.
Furthermore, the adjustable length wasted spacer member as taught by Neuhart does not specify through-holes on the connecting sleeve thereof for the positioning of vertical reinforcing bars, or if present would require the sleeve to be rotated to a correct orientation prior to the application of the spacer member.
In contrast, the vertically oriented apertures on the connecting element of the second embodiment of the spacer member of the present invention serve also as guide holes for a vertical reinforcing bar. As the connecting element is restricted to translational motion in an axial direction, no separate alignment of the guide holes are necessary.
Differences also exist between the vane elements provided on the spacer member of the present invention and the vane elements of the spacer member as taught by Neuhart, wherein the vane elements are forceably removed by hand tools which risk damage to the glass bricks or are separately manufactured and releasably secured.
The vane element of the spacer member of the present invention can be removed by a simple manual twisting operation and is manufactured integrally along with the attached positioning element, simplifying assembly and eliminating the risk of premature separation.